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  • In This Issue
  • Featured
    • Cover Story
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
    • Events
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Tee Off with Hope: Dawn of Hope Golf Classic
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
      • Journey Into The Unknown
      • Virginia Ground’s Band Camp Music Festival at Holston River Brewing
      • Jenny & The Hog Drovers at Carter Family Fold
    • Arts
      • ETSU to present Mr. Burns A Post-Electric Play
      • Award-Winning Murder Mystery, In The Heat Of The Night, Comes to Barter Theatre
      • The MIDTOWN MEN Perform at NPAC
      • Spoken Word Open Mic
      • May I Serve You? April 23 at 7p.m. with musical guest Aaron Jaxon
    • Music
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Paul Edelman & Jangling Sparrows Back in Bristol
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
      • The MIDTOWN MEN Perform at NPAC
      • May I Serve You? April 23 at 7p.m. with musical guest Aaron Jaxon
      • Virginia Ground’s Band Camp Music Festival at Holston River Brewing
      • Jenny & The Hog Drovers at Carter Family Fold
      • Band Booking
    • Food & Drink
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
    • Free & Fun
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Paul Edelman & Jangling Sparrows Back in Bristol
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
      • Journey Into The Unknown
      • Spoken Word Open Mic
      • How Does Your Garden Grow?
    • News
      • ETSU to present Mr. Burns A Post-Electric Play
      • Tee Off with Hope: Dawn of Hope Golf Classic
      • Award-Winning Murder Mystery, In The Heat Of The Night, Comes to Barter Theatre
      • How Does Your Garden Grow?
      • Pets of the Week
      • Things To Do
    • Classifieds
      • Pets of the Week
      • Things To Do
  • Columns
    • Appalachian Wanderers
      • Springtime Hiking Safety
    • *batteries not included
      • The Awful Truth
    • The Casual Word
      • Gargoyle
    • Kelly’s Place
      • English 101: Out With THE OLD, In With THE NEW?
    • Mister
      • Man Up: Redefining Masculinity
    • Mountain Movers
      • Don Raines: The Interview
    • Outdoor Life
      • Is a 9mm pistol good enough for defensive use?
    • Pop Life
      • A Quiet Place
    • Skies This Week
      • Skies This Week
    • Stargazer
      • Astronomy Day this Saturday: Time to Look Up!
    • The Nerd’s Corner
      • Nano Metalfigs
    • The Trivial Traveler
      • The Ultimate Limited Access Road
  • Businesses
    • Restaurants
    • Services
    • Salons
    • Museums
    • Schools / Colleges
    • Stores
    • Bars
    • Medical
    • Activities
    • Automotive
    • Theatre
    • Hotels
  • Spotlight
  • Full Issues
  • Nightlife
  • A Night Out

Skies This Week

Celestial events in the skies for the week of Dec. 20-26, 2016, as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette.

Christmas Week 2016 has planet Venus blazing brightly above the southwest horizon like a Christmas Star. And that goes double for bright Jupiter in the morning sky.   The Moon will be in the after midnight scene, so the evenings will be filled with starlight. AND, it will officially be Winter this week, the solstice being Wednesday.

Tues. Dec. 20

The Moon is at Last Quarter, rising at 1 am. The late night finds Orion the Hunter beginning his dominance of the celestial realm with his canine companions Canis Major and Minor. Behold the beauty of the Universe as you safely celebrate the holidays.

Wed. Dec. 21

Winter Solstice at 5:44 pm when the Sun stands over the Tropic of Capricorn. Remember, south of the equator is celebrating Summer—so to warm up, check out those beaches in Rio and Sydney! On this 1968 date in space history, the world was excited as the world’s most powerful rocket, Saturn V, blasted off Cape Kennedy, Florida with Apollo 8 atop and three astronauts bound for an orbital mission to the Moon, 240,000 miles away.

Thurs. Dec. 22

An inspiring morning celestial scene as the crescent Moon, Jupiter and star Spica stand in a straight line in Virgo.  Rising together at 3 am, the three celestial objects in conjunction with each other will put on a show until twilight drowns them out around 7 am—the Moon lingering in our morning blue sky.

Fri. Dec. 23

The night sky can be a sanctuary of structure and sanity from the craziness of holiday shopping. Taurus, Auriga, Orion and Gemini are rising in the east, their brilliant stars adding some brilliant “bling” in the sky. Go outside and recharge with some fresh air and starlight.  Each point of light is a world of its own, there for you to enjoy and wonder.

Sat. Dec. 24

In 1968, Apollo 8 orbited the Moon with three Americans, a triumph that led to the July 1969 landing by Apollo 11. That Christmas Eve, astronauts read from the book of Genesis during a live broadcast, the camera showing the moving cratered terrain below. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders are still alive to relive that historic space mission.

Sun. Dec. 25

Christmas Day. Born on this day in 1642 is one of the world’s quintessential geniuses Isaac Newton. He is known best for figuring out the mystery of gravity and invention of the reflecting, mirror telescope.  But two little known facts about Newton are he pursued alchemy in the quest to make gold and was a scholar of the Bible.  FYI, among those also born on Christmas Day are: Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Buffett

Mon. Dec. 26

Anybody getting a Christmas telescope has the Moon to get acquainted with.  There are usually three lenses with even the cheapest telescope…say, a 25 mm, 10 mm and 6 mm.  Stargazers don’t like real high power because it distorts things and makes it hard to keep steady. The higher the number the lower the power, so put that 25 mm in the telescope and experience 80-100x power.  The 12-10mm lenses will give about 200x power, and that 6-4mm lens is almost worthless at close to 400x on anything but the Moon.

Dec 20, 2016The Loafer
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Dedicated to local arts and entertainment around the Tri-Cities region since 1986.

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